1 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive wheel separation mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automotive wheel separation mechanism that induces separation of a wheel by hitting a lateral arm in a front collision.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, vehicles are equipped with various front collision compensating mechanisms to reduce damage to the vehicles and protect passengers when they are in motion and collide with another vehicle or object (hereafter, referred to as a hit-object) ahead.
As the front collision compensating mechanisms of the related art, there are a bumper beam elongated at the front in the width direction of a vehicle and a crash box disposed behind the bumper beam and absorbing and reducing shock energy transmitted through the bumper beam.
The bumper beam and the crash box are mounted and supported on a front side member elongated in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle and the front side member also absorbs and reduces shock energy transmitted though the bumper beam or the crash box by deforming rearward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
However, when a vehicle that is in motion does not hit a hit-object with a head-on collision, but the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle hits a hit-object (hereafter, referred to as ‘small overlap collision’), the front side member fails to show its shock absorption ability by bending inward or outward in the width direction of the vehicle without deforming in the its longitudinal direction and the hit-object hits the fender apron and the wheels, around the front side member.
When the hit-object hits a wheel, the wheel is pushed to the interior of the vehicle by the hit-object and threatens the safety of the passenger in the interior, such that there is a need of a mechanism that can prevent serious damage to a vehicle body due to a wheel and injury of passengers by inducing the wheel to be appropriately separated in a front collision or an overlap collision.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the related art already known to a person skilled in the art.